“The experience of divine grace is a glimpse behind the veil of separation,
a vision of wholeness that frees us from fear.”
~Yogacharya O’Brian
As I walked along the beach this past week, I looked up at the hills in the distance and noticed that there was a fine mist distorting my view. As I contemplated on what I was seeing, I was reminded how much of the time we perceive the world around us through the veil of our past experiences and the stories we have created around those experiences. The Truth is hidden from us like the mists that block a clear view of distant hills.
As I continued to hold this contemplation in my heart, I watched a special on our local television station, Hidden Bias of Good People. The description of this program states that it “looks at how the people and ideas we’ve been exposed to throughout our lives take hold, and while we assume we’re always thinking independently, we’re not.” We unconsciously create our individual biases based on our experiences, on what we have been exposed to in our society. The presenter posited that only two things are necessary to have biases: live in a society and have a brain. These biases are implicit rather that explicit. We cannot avoid having them. They separate us from what is True.
What can help us uncover these hidden biases and see beyond the stories we tell ourselves? A steady meditation practice. As Alan Watts said, “The art of meditation is a way of getting into touch with reality, and the reason for it is that most civilized people are out of touch with reality because they confuse the world as it is with the world as they think about it and talk about it and describe it.” When we are steadfast in our meditation practice, we begin to live more consciously. We become aware of the biases we have developed regarding other people and circumstances. We can then examine their origin and see beyond them, beyond the veil of our thoughts. As we live more consciously, we open to divine grace and experience the wholeness of life.
Rev. Nita Shankari Kenyon